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Amazon is bringing robots to Whole Foods

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

Amazon is bringing robots to Whole Foods, Bloomberg reports. The e-commerce giant, which acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion earlier this month, will use robots to do the heavy lifting in warehouses and, ultimately, cut distribution costs.

Why it matters: Amazon only has plans to bring automation to warehouses for now, but replacing workers, including cashiers, in the brick-and-mortar stores could be next. Still, Amazon hasn't stopped hiring as a result of automating its own warehouses, pledging to add 100,000 people by next year.

Whole Foods' CEO

anticipated these changes when he told employees, "I think we're gonna see a lot of technology. I think you're gonna see Whole Foods Market evolve in leaps and bounds."